Hi Lynn. Go with DVR Dude. He has a good track record here and there have been issues with Samsung drives in the past (DVR Dude uses the recommended Western Digital drive.)

The ideal situation is to run your TiVo for 30 days or so to be sure it's working properly. But if you want to install the new drive right away, then yes, once you've dropped the new drive into TiVo follow the pre-setup directions in the owner's guide (or here) to prepare it for the cable folks. (More here.)

I don't think this question has been asked so let me go ahead and ask;

Am i able to use a Dell Poweredge server to expand up to 4 drives at one time?
My server takes sata drives and i have about 4 caddy's in there

I bet with the linux CD it MIGHT be possible. The unix command "tee" takes input from a pipe and sends it two places--to a file, and to its standard out. If somehow the file was instead stdin going to a restore command, the same source "file" (the original TiVo drive) could be used to feed stdin to four restore commands simultaneously. There's also a "named pipe" functionality, where a "file" can instead be a pipe to some other process. I'm not familiar with the specifics of named pipes, though, but I got this from google on how to set up named pipes.

What I'm thinking is something like this. Set up three named pipes, then three restore processes reading from them as their input. Notice each resotre is going to its own destination drive (a-d). That is:

What I'm not sure of though is whether these backgrounded (the & makes them background processes) restore commands will just wait for input or if they'll error out. If they wait patiently for input, this should all work fine.

The final step is to run this (syntax is from here), which will right to the three above restore commands as well as to this fourth one:
Option 2.7 To copy everything from original size Tivo drive to bigger dual drives and expand capacity but limit the drive to 137GB:

I bet with the linux CD it MIGHT be possible. The unix command "tee" takes input from a pipe and sends it two places--to a file, and to its standard out. If somehow the file was instead stdin going to a restore command, the same source "file" (the original TiVo drive) could be used to feed stdin to four restore commands simultaneously. There's also a "named pipe" functionality, where a "file" can instead be a pipe to some other process. I'm not familiar with the specifics of named pipes, though, but I got this from google on how to set up named pipes.

What I'm thinking is something like this. Set up three named pipes, then three restore processes reading from them as their input. Notice each resotre is going to its own destination drive (a-d). That is:

What I'm not sure of though is whether these backgrounded (the & makes them background processes) restore commands will just wait for input or if they'll error out. If they wait patiently for input, this should all work fine.

The final step is to run this (syntax is from here), which will right to the three above restore commands as well as to this fourth one:
Option 2.7 To copy everything from original size Tivo drive to bigger dual drives and expand capacity but limit the drive to 137GB:

Ok so from the command prompt i need to type :
ETA TESTED IT AS FOLLOWS. I'm almost certain this will work.

[snip]...

and that's it?

No, that was my test, duplicating one file four times simultaneously. Here's an example geared toward your TiVos.

First, I'll assume that /dev/sda is your ORIGINAL TIVO hard drive, and that /dev/sdb /dev/sdc and /dev/sdd are your three BLANK hard drives. This is set up to make THREE identical copies of the one original drive (and expand to fit the new drive size). (The "$" I show here represents your prompt--your typing starts after that.) I also raised the swap size from 127 to 512.

The mfsinfo command just examines a particular drive to see if it is a TiVo drive and if so how big. We do that before the restore on the original, then after on the other three.

Note this can take HOURS AND HOURS, up to a day on slower systems. ANd doing it times three like this, give it a good long time. Your PowerEdge seems beefy enough, I would imagine this should not take over 12 hours, but that's just a guess.

Note that each of the commands running (one backup and three restores, all running simultaneously) will be sending output to your screen. If you like you can add a "q" to the option letters (between the "n" and the "x", so "-nqxzpi", for instance) for all but one of the restores to quiet this down.

Why? I say this every time it comes up only because newbs may not know the pain. Those external drives are NOT a good solution. Too many moving/fallible parts. And when it fails, you lose ALL recordings--there's no way to avoid that. Stick with 300 hours HD, that should do. If that's not enough, probably two tuners isn't either--get a SECOND unit.

I'm fully aware of the fact that external drives are an -additional- fail point.

I have three 2TB Premieres and one 2TB TiVo HD (not counting the 2TB Premiere and 2TB TiVo HD that I set up for my folks in another room).

Guess what? They are all near capacity. So are all the 2TB drives that I have populating the SATA ports of my computer.

Due to some odd problem that I have with the sound cutting out on analog channels, which neither Cox nor TiVo will help me resolve, I have to try and record as much as I can in digital, and 99% of that is only available in HD.

I have a few "spare" 2TB drives laying around. Rather than use a true "external" drive, I'd like to just use an exact matching drive to the one I put inside, using a power brick to SATA power adapter, and a quality eSATA cable. I can build a "rack" for the drives to cradle in safely, out of sight, behind my tower of TiVos.

Why? Because I want to. Isn't that enough, considering that it seems the obstacle to Comer's attempts at this has a solution now?

I'm not a "newb". I've been lurking here for years, just not registered until recently. I figured being able to post was worth registering.

Also, considering the cost of adding more cable cards for each additional unit, the CCI byte restrictions, and just how much I use my TiVos, I'll gladly accept the risk.

I would have thought that you, of all people, would at least be interested enough in HOW weaknees got around a stumbling block that Comer couldn't (at the time), and if it can be replicated.

From what I'm reading elsewhere, it has to do with a "register" of some sort.

+1'ing ThreeSoFar is like giving my post a

I'll let it slide, just this once.

Don't get me wrong, no disrespect intended. I am also interested in the Weakness setup and what they did to overcome the earlier problems they and everyone else had with the 4TB option. I was +1ing the concept of adding the secondary fail point. I haven't to date (knock on wood...touching head) ever lost all of my recordings but I know I would be very upset if I did so I tend to move whatever recordings I can't live without to my computer (and then an external storage drive). If copy protection is an issue there is a way to mod a TiVo to overcome that, but that's a different thread.

FWIW I believe another TCF member (aaronwt?) has built a Drobo type server to do something like you're considering...but with über large terabytes of space. You might want to run a search.

Me? I'm just waiting for the 3TB single drive upgrade...then 4TB...then...

I'm fully aware of the fact that external drives are an -additional- fail point.

[snip]
I'm not a "newb". I've been lurking here for years, just not registered until recently. I figured being able to post was worth registering.

Frankly, I didn't even look at your post count or TCF sub date. I assumed you were not a newb, but lots of newbs do use this thread as a resource and I wanted to save them that pain. I assume you're not suffering from dissociative disorder--the plural was also not directed at you.

FWIW, we added a couple free (non CC) HD tuners to our mix by putting an indoor antenna on our top floor Series 3 to give us a little more HD space on the OTA networks. We record and watch a TON, more than anyone I know, and since going to 2TB haven't come close to filling them. We have five dual tuner HD capable lifetimed TiVos (2S4, 1HDTiVo, 2S3), all but one at 2TB, the other at 1TB. You're the first to eat up more space than us that I've heard of.

And I differ from Rich here--I am [b]not[/i] interested in any solution dealing with an external drive specifically because it introduces too much risk to losing content. I don't want our "customers" on this thread to ever see just that side of the equation and be disappointed when they run into failure because of it, so I will take the opportunity your post and others like it presents to point out that fact.

And I differ from Rich here--I am [b]not[/i] interested in any solution dealing with an external drive specifically because it introduces too much risk to losing content.

FWIW I still agree. I'm not interested in an external solution either...only in what they did to overcome prior problems. That info might be adapted to allow us to use something larger than the current 2TB limited internal drives. 3TB drives are already out there and IIRC 4TB's are just around the corner.

We're also in the same boat...it will be quite a while before our 2TB PXL hits the wall. We also use our Series3 as a quasi-three and four tuner option but mostly for those fairly rare occasions when there are more than two programs we want to record on in the same timeframe.

It's still a good reminder, though. I didn't jump on the Comer JMFS bandwagon until after the second revision was out, and after it had been out for long enough for others to hit max capacity and verify no disasters awaited.

FWIW I still agree. I'm not interested in an external solution either...only in what they did to overcome prior problems. That info might be adapted to allow us to use something larger than the current 2TB limited internal drives. 3TB drives are already out there and IIRC 4TB's are just around the corner.

This! +1. Hopefully, the weaknees "fix" will lead to a way to do it with one internal drive (provided that JMFS, or a future update, will allow me to transfer everything, and then expand beyond the original expansion).

Quote:

If copy protection is an issue there is a way to mod a TiVo to overcome that, but that's a different thread.

Only TiVo HDs, last I knew of. Even then, all of them need to be modded, or problems arise when trying to transfer between modded and non-modded. I only have one active TiVo HD at this time, anyway. I'm not up-to-date enough on the subject to even guess if there could be transfers between HDs and Premieres when mods get thrown in.

Since the Premiere is still in its infancy, and will likely require many updates to be what it should have been at launch, I shudder at the thought of modding them, even if that is now possible. Since they are all lifetime subs, I don't want to lose my investment with the slip of a soldering iron, or with a TiVo software update.

I'm aware of the deal. I'm always searching the giant database known as the world-wide-web.

Sorry if I missed this but I just bought a TiVo Premiere from Ebay and they upgraded the hard drive to a 1TB. The problem is that when I booted it up it stuttered some at the "TiVo movie" and then periodically after that. So I popped the hood and found a Seagate 2.5 inch HDD barely hanging in the HDD carriage so I took that drive and did this upgrade then sent the drive back to the person(no more glitches). But now, finally, here is my problem: I made sure to "supersize" the drive but when I look at the settings screen it shows 150 hours recordable time and not the 236 I should have. Any thoughts on how I goofed this up?
Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Sorry if I missed this but I just bought a TiVo Premiere from Ebay and they upgraded the hard drive to a 1TB. The problem is that when I booted it up it stuttered some at the "TiVo movie" and then periodically after that. So I popped the hood and found a Seagate 2.5 inch HDD barely hanging in the HDD carriage so I took that drive and did this upgrade then sent the drive back to the person(no more glitches). But now, finally, here is my problem: I made sure to "supersize" the drive but when I look at the settings screen it shows 150 hours recordable time and not the 236 I should have. Any thoughts on how I goofed this up?
Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Sorry if I missed this but I just bought a TiVo Premiere from Ebay and they upgraded the hard drive to a 1TB. The problem is that when I booted it up it stuttered some at the "TiVo movie" and then periodically after that. So I popped the hood and found a Seagate 2.5 inch HDD barely hanging in the HDD carriage so I took that drive and did this upgrade then sent the drive back to the person(no more glitches). But now, finally, here is my problem: I made sure to "supersize" the drive but when I look at the settings screen it shows 150 hours recordable time and not the 236 I should have. Any thoughts on how I goofed this up?
Thanks in advance for any and all help!

Quote:

Originally Posted by retiredqwest

2TB = 317 hrs HD1.5TB =237 hrs or so HD
1TB =150 hrs or so HD

Since you really don't say what you used for a target drive.....

Sorry I knew I missed something I did change to a 1.5TB drive and that's why I'm confused.